Systems and Methods for Tracking Dental Aligner Production and Manufacture

ABSTRACT

Systems and methods for tracking dental aligner production and manufacture for a plurality of patients are disclosed herein. Exemplary methods include displaying a graphical user interface for the tracking dental aligner production and manufacture for the plurality of patients comprising: a first row of cells containing a first subject heading displaying a scan status, the scan status being a status of the receiving the intra-oral scan; a second row of cells containing a second subject heading displaying a treatment plan status, the treatment plan status being a status of the receiving a treatment plan including the desired teeth positions of the patient based on the intra-oral scan; and a third row of cells containing a third subject heading displaying a printing status, the printing status being a status of the printing, using a three-dimensional (3D) printer, the series of dental models matching the series of modified teeth positions.

FIELD OF THE TECHNOLOGY

The present technology relates generally to dental aligner production.More particularly, and not by limitation, the technology relates tosystems and methods for tracking dental aligner production andmanufacture for a plurality of patients.

BACKGROUND

The approaches described in this section could be pursued but are notnecessarily approaches that have previously been conceived or pursued.Therefore, unless otherwise indicated, it should not be assumed that anyof the approaches described in this section qualify as prior art merelyby virtue of their inclusion in this section.

Invisalign® is one of the biggest makers of clear dental aligners tostraighten teeth. Recently intellectual property assigned to Invisalign®has expired leaving this field open for competitors to make competingclear dental aligners. Also, three-dimensional (3D) printing hasrecently become widely available and affordable. Thus, manyorthodontists and dentists are joining this field of producing cleardental aligners in-house creating a need for systems for tracking dentalaligner production and manufacture.

Existing solutions to track patient data for the status of various stepsof dental aligner production include using a spreadsheet program such asMicrosoft® Excel® and tracking dental aligner production “by hand” usinga white board. These existing solutions are cumbersome, inefficient, andmay display information incorrectly and inefficiently. As a result, auser may miss relevant patient data and miss deadlines. Consequently,there is a need for tracking the production and manufacture of clearaligners for a plurality of patients using graphical user interfacesthat act as an interactive guide.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

In some embodiments, the present disclosure is directed to a system ofone or more computers which can be configured to perform particularoperations or actions by virtue of having software, firmware, hardware,or a combination thereof installed on the system that in operationcauses or cause the system to perform actions and/or method steps asdescribed herein. For example, embodiments may include a method fortracking dental aligner production and manufacture for a plurality ofpatients. In some embodiments the method may include: (A) receiving anintra-oral scan including starting teeth positions of a patient; (B)receiving a treatment plan including desired teeth positions of thepatient based on the intra-oral scan; (C) generating a series ofmodified teeth positions from the starting teeth positions based on thetreatment plan, the series of modified teeth positions from the startingteeth positions being incremental changes from the starting teethpositions to the desired teeth positions; (D) printing, using athree-dimensional (3D) printer, a series of dental models matching theseries of modified teeth positions from the starting teeth positions,the series of dental models being used for fabricating a series ofdental aligners that cause the starting teeth positions of the patientto physically change to the desired teeth positions; and (E) displayinga graphical user interface for the tracking dental aligner productionand manufacture for the plurality of patients, the graphical userinterface for the tracking dental aligner production and manufacture forthe plurality of patients comprising: (a) a first row of cellscontaining a first subject heading displaying a scan status, the scanstatus being a status of the receiving the intra-oral scan; (b) a secondrow of cells containing a second subject heading displaying a treatmentplan status, the treatment plan status being a status of the receiving atreatment plan including the desired teeth positions of the patientbased on the intra-oral scan; and (c) a third row of cells containing athird subject heading displaying a printing status, the printing statusbeing a status of the printing, using the three-dimensional (3D)printer, the series of dental models matching the series of modifiedteeth positions.

In various embodiments the displaying the graphical user interface forthe tracking dental aligner production and manufacture for the pluralityof patients further comprises: (d) a fourth row of cells containing afourth subject heading displaying a thermoform status, the thermoformstatus being a status of thermoforming a dental aligner of the series ofdental aligners matching the series of modified teeth positions.

In various embodiments the displaying the graphical user interface forthe tracking dental aligner production and manufacture for the pluralityof patients further comprises: (e) a fifth row of cells containing afifth subject heading displaying a trim and polish status, the trim andpolish status being a status of trimming and polishing of the dentalaligner of the series of dental aligners matching the series of modifiedteeth positions.

In various embodiments the displaying the graphical user interface forthe tracking dental aligner production and manufacture for the pluralityof patients further comprises: (f) a sixth row of cells containing asixth subject heading displaying a packaging status, the packagingstatus being a status of packaging of the dental aligner of the seriesof dental aligners matching the series of modified teeth positions.

In some embodiments the displaying the graphical user interface for thetracking dental aligner production and manufacture for the plurality ofpatients further comprises: (g) a seventh row of cells containing aseventh subject heading displaying a case ready status, the case readystatus being a status of completion of the dental aligner of the seriesof dental aligners matching the series of modified teeth positions.

In some embodiments the displaying the graphical user interface for thetracking dental aligner production and manufacture for the plurality ofpatients further comprises: (h) an eight row of cells containing aneighth subject heading displaying a case completed status, the casecompleted status being a status of completion of all aligners of theseries of dental aligners matching the series of modified teethpositions.

In some embodiments further comprising: receiving a focus cellactivation from a user, the focus cell activation from the user causingthe graphical user interface for the tracking dental aligner productionand manufacture for the plurality of patients to display at least one ofthe scan status, the treatment plan status, and the printing status forthe plurality of patients.

In some embodiments the intra-oral scan is received from an intraoralscanner, the intraoral scanner providing the starting teeth positions ofthe patient.

In various embodiments the present technology is directed to a systemfor tracking dental aligner production and manufacture for a pluralityof patients, the system comprising: (A) an intraoral scanner generatingan intra-oral scan including starting teeth positions of a patient; (B)at least one processor; and (C) a memory storing processor-executableinstructions, the at least one processor is configured to implement thefollowing operations upon executing the processor-executableinstructions: (a) generating a treatment plan including desired teethpositions of the patient based on the intra-oral scan; and (b)generating a series of modified teeth positions from the starting teethpositions based on the treatment plan, the series of modified teethpositions from the starting teeth positions being incremental changesfrom the starting teeth positions to the desired teeth positions. Thesystem further includes (D) a three-dimensional (3D) printer printing, aseries of dental models matching the series of modified teeth positionsfrom the starting teeth positions, the series of dental models beingused for fabricating a series of dental aligners that cause the startingteeth positions of the patient to physically change to the desired teethpositions; and (E) a graphical user interface for the tracking dentalaligner production and manufacture for the plurality of patients, thegraphical user interface displaying: (i) a first row of cells containinga first subject heading displaying a scan status, the scan status beinga status of the generating the intra-oral scan; (ii) a second row ofcells containing a second subject heading displaying a treatment planstatus, the treatment plan status being a status of the generating atreatment plan including the desired teeth positions of the patientbased on the intra-oral scan; and (iii) a third row of cells containinga third subject heading displaying a printing status, the printingstatus being a status of the printing, using the three-dimensional (3D)printer, the series of dental models.

In various embodiments the present technology is directed tonon-transitory computer readable medium having embodied thereoninstructions being executable by at least one processor to performoperations for tracking dental aligner production and manufacture for aplurality of patients, the operations comprising: (A) receiving anintra-oral scan including starting teeth positions of a patient from anintraoral scanner; (B) receiving a treatment plan including desiredteeth positions of the patient based on the intra-oral scan; (C)generating a series of modified teeth positions from the starting teethpositions based on the treatment plan, the series of modified teethpositions from the starting teeth positions being incremental changesfrom the starting teeth positions to the desired teeth positions; (D)printing, using a three-dimensional (3D) printer, a series of dentalmodels matching the series of modified teeth positions from the startingteeth positions, the series of dental models being used for fabricatinga series of dental aligners that cause the starting teeth positions ofthe patient to physically change to the desired teeth positions; and (E)displaying a graphical user interface for the tracking dental alignerproduction and manufacture for the plurality of patients, the graphicaluser interface for the tracking dental aligner production andmanufacture for the plurality of patients comprising: (a) a first row ofcells containing a first subject heading displaying a scan status, thescan status being a status of the receiving the intra-oral scan; (b) asecond row of cells containing a second subject heading displaying atreatment plan status, the treatment plan status being a status of thereceiving a treatment plan including the desired teeth positions of thepatient based on the intra-oral scan; and (c) a third row of cellscontaining a third subject heading displaying a printing status, theprinting status being a status of the printing, using thethree-dimensional (3D) printer, the series of dental models matching theseries of modified teeth positions.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The accompanying drawings, where like reference numerals refer toidentical or functionally similar elements throughout the separateviews, together with the detailed description below, are incorporated inand form part of the specification, and serve to further illustrateembodiments of concepts that include the claimed disclosure, and explainvarious principles and advantages of those embodiments.

FIG. 1 illustrates process flow diagram showing a method for trackingdental aligner production and manufacture for a plurality of patients,in accordance with various embodiments of the present technology.

FIG. 2 illustrates a graphical user interface showing a dashboard fortracking dental aligner production and manufacture for the plurality ofpatients, in accordance with various embodiments of the presenttechnology.

FIG. 3 illustrates a graphical user interface showing a ready forloading status for tracking dental aligner production and manufacturefor the plurality of patients after a user selects a subject heading ofready for loading of FIG. 2, in accordance with various embodiments ofthe present technology.

FIG. 4 illustrates a graphical user interface showing Dr. review statusfor tracking dental aligner production and manufacture for the pluralityof patients after a user selects a subject heading of Dr. review of FIG.2, in accordance with various embodiments of the present technology.

FIG. 5 illustrates a graphical user interface showing needs printingstatus for tracking dental aligner production and manufacture for theplurality of patients after a user selects a subject heading of needsprinting of FIG. 2, in accordance with various embodiments of thepresent technology.

FIG. 6 illustrates a graphical user interface showing needs thermoformstatus for tracking dental aligner production and manufacture for theplurality of patients after a user selects a subject heading of needsthermoform of FIG. 2, in accordance with various embodiments of thepresent technology.

FIG. 7 illustrates a graphical user interface showing needs trim andpolish status for tracking dental aligner production and manufacture forthe plurality of patients after a user selects a subject heading needstrim and polish of FIG. 2, in accordance with various embodiments of thepresent technology.

FIG. 8 illustrates a graphical user interface showing needs packagingstatus for tracking dental aligner production and manufacture for theplurality of patients after a user selects a subject heading needspackaging of FIG. 2, in accordance with various embodiments of thepresent technology.

FIG. 9 illustrates a graphical user interface showing case ready statusfor tracking dental aligner production and manufacture for the pluralityof patients after a user selects a subject heading case ready of FIG. 2,in accordance with various embodiments of the present technology.

FIG. 10 illustrates a graphical user interface showing case completedstatus for tracking dental aligner production and manufacture for theplurality of patients after a user selects a subject heading casecompleted of FIG. 2, in accordance with various embodiments of thepresent technology.

FIG. 11 illustrates a graphical user interface showing due soon statusfor tracking dental aligner production and manufacture for the pluralityof patients after a user selects a subject heading due soon of FIG. 2,in accordance with various embodiments of the present technology.

FIG. 12 illustrates a graphical user interface showing a calendar viewfor tracking dental aligner production and manufacture for the pluralityof patients after a user selects a subject heading calendar view of FIG.11, in accordance with various embodiments of the present technology.

FIG. 13 illustrates a graphical user interface showing an add treatmenttype for tracking dental aligner production and manufacture for theplurality of patients after a user selects a subject heading addtreatment type under settings of FIG. 2, in accordance with variousembodiments of the present technology.

FIG. 14 illustrates a graphical user interface showing an add appliancetype for tracking dental aligner production and manufacture for theplurality of patients after a user selects an add appliance type undersettings of FIG. 2, in accordance with various embodiments of thepresent technology.

FIG. 15 illustrates a graphical user interface showing an add softwarefor tracking dental aligner production and manufacture for the pluralityof patients after a user selects add software under settings of FIG. 2,in accordance with various embodiments of the present technology.

FIG. 16 illustrates an exemplary computer system that may be used toimplement embodiments of the present technology according to variousembodiments.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE EMBODIMENTS

In the following description, for purposes of explanation, numerousspecific details are set forth in order to provide a thoroughunderstanding of the disclosure. It will be apparent, however, to oneskilled in the art, that the disclosure may be practiced without thesespecific details. In other instances, structures and devices may beshown in block diagram form only in order to avoid obscuring thedisclosure. It should be understood that the disclosed embodiments aremerely exemplary of the invention, which may be embodied in multipleforms. Those details disclosed herein are not to be interpreted in anyform as limiting, but as the basis for the claims.

In various embodiments systems and methods of the present technologysolve the problem of orthodontists not being able to accurately and inreal-time track dental aligner production and manufacture for aplurality of patients. Existing solutions lack the functionality oftracking in real-time which step in the process of dental alignerproduction each patient case is for a plurality of patients. Patientcase or “case” is a dental record or dental chart including data relatedto treatment of a patient.

Historically, in dental aligner production and manufacture, anorthodontist only completes the initial set-up for each patient casein-house. Every other step of dental aligner production and manufactureis outsourced outside of the office of the orthodontist. In contrast,when manufacturing dental aligners within the office using embodimentsof the present technology, the orthodontist is responsible for everystep of dental aligner production and manufacture. Orthodontists do nothave a way of tracking dental aligner production and manufacture for aplurality of patients efficiently that results in the dental alignersbeing ready for patients on-time, with continual monitoring, and withreal-time status updates. For example, existing solutions includeupdating whiteboards “by hand” or using a spreadsheet program such asMicrosoft® Excel® to track patient data including the status of varioussteps of dental aligner production. These existing solutions are notefficient and are cumbersome for tracking dental aligner production andmanufacture for a plurality of patients. The present technology allowsan orthodontist to input information for each patient of a plurality ofpatients and to update the status of each patient in real-time to ensurethat all patient cases are accurately tracked and delivered on-schedule.The present technology allows a user to display which patient cases aredue soon, and to prioritize patient cases using a graphical userinterface. For instance, a snapshot of patient flow.

Various embodiments of the present technology generate a dashboard on agraphical user interface that displays an overview of the total numberof patient cases entered in the system and how many patient cases are ineach category. For instance, a main dashboard. The present technologymay allow a user to filter patient data by geographic location, asnecessary. For example, when an orthodontist has offices in differentgeographic locations a user may filter patient data by geographiclocation of each office as necessary for each user.

In some embodiments the present technology includes a patient card thatallows for a user to view how many dental aligners are needed forpatient cases, how many dental aligners need to be made for patientcases, an appointment date for each patient, and any specialinstructions. Each individual category of the present technology mayhave various sub-categories that break down the name of each patient,software used, scan date, the team member that scanned the patient, aswell as the ability to move an individual patient case or a group ofpatient cases forward or backward to different categories.

In various embodiments of the present technology a user may add photos,radiographs, and digital models to a patient case. For example, a usermay insert one or more photos, add one or more X-rays, and add digitalmodels to a patient case using the present technology. The functionalityto add this patient data to a to a patient case allows for all datarelated to the patient to be organized and easily accessible. Forinstance, this functionality to add data to a patient case may beparticularly useful in an academic setting when a lecturer is discussingthe patient case and all the data related to a patient case is easilyaccessible to the lecturer using the present technology. For example,when all recorded information regarding a patient case including dentalhistory, diagnostic information, clinical notes, and diagnostic scan(s)is available to a lecturer, each patient case is easily discussed.Without this functionality to add data to a patient case, the lectureris forced to use multiple different programs to access various recordsfor a patient. In contrast, the present technology allows all patientdata to be organized and easily accessible to the lecturer.

In some embodiments of the present technology a user may customize acategory for a patient case by entering a custom name. Additionally, thepresent technology allows a user to add or remove categories based onthe individual offices. For example, if a dental practice has offices indifferent geographic locations, a user may display the offices by aselected geographic location.

FIG. 1 illustrates process flow diagram showing a method 100 fortracking dental aligner production and manufacture for a plurality ofpatients, in accordance with various embodiments of the presenttechnology. The method 100 may be performed by processing logic that maycomprise hardware (e.g., dedicated logic, programmable logic, andmicrocode), software (such as software run on a general-purpose computersystem or a dedicated machine), or a combination thereof.

As shown in FIG. 1, the method 100 may commence at operation 110, withreceiving an intra-oral scan including starting teeth positions of apatient. The intra-oral scan includes digital impressions that aredigital scans of the mouth of a patient to create a map of the teeth andgums of the patient including the starting teeth positions of thepatient. The intra-oral scan allows an orthodontist to view the map ofthe teeth and gums of the patient on a computer screen in athree-dimensional (3D) model, that is more accurate than an X-ray ortraditional mold. In some instances, intra-oral scan allows a dentist oran orthodontist to diagnose issues for the teeth of a patient such asovercrowding, gapped teeth, overbites, underbites, crossbites, and openbites, and the like, for a patient. The intra-oral scan may be receivedfrom an intraoral scanner, the intraoral scanner providing the startingteeth positions of the patient. Any scanner may be used that can be usedto create a map of the teeth and gums of the patient.

At operation 120, the method 100 may proceed with receiving a treatmentplan including desired teeth positions of the patient based on theintra-oral scan. For example, the intra-oral scan allows theorthodontist to observe dental issues of the teeth of a patient such asovercrowding, gapped teeth, overbites, underbites, crossbites, and openbites, and the like. Based on the observations of overcrowding, gappedteeth, overbites, underbites, crossbites, and open bites, and the like,of the teeth of the patient, the orthodontist may make a treatment plan.For instance, the treatment plan from an orthodontist to treat acrossbite may start with a series of modified teeth positions from thestarting teeth positions to fix the bite issue. Next, the treatment planfrom the orthodontist to treat the crossbite may include a series ofmodified teeth positions to align and expand the width of the dentalarches.

At operation 130, the method 100 may include generating a series ofmodified teeth positions from the starting teeth positions based on thetreatment plan, the series of modified teeth positions from the startingteeth positions being incremental changes from the starting teethpositions to the desired teeth positions. For instance, the treatmentplan from an orthodontist to treat a crossbite may start with a seriesof modified teeth positions from the starting teeth positions to fix thebite issue. Next, the treatment plan from the orthodontist to treat thecrossbite may include a series of modified teeth positions to align andexpand the width of the dental arches.

At operation 140, the method 100 may proceed with printing, using athree-dimensional (3D) printer, a series of dental models matching theseries of modified teeth positions from the starting teeth positions,the series of dental models being used for fabricating a series ofdental aligners that cause the starting teeth positions of the patientto physically change to the desired teeth positions. For example, thethree-dimensional (3D) printer is any 3D printer for additivemanufacturing that is used for the construction of a physical dentalmodel from a digital model. Dental aligners are then fabricated from the3D printed dental models. For instance, the treatment plan from anorthodontist to treat a crossbite may start with a series of modifiedteeth positions from the starting teeth positions to fix the bite issue.Next, the treatment plan from the orthodontist to treat the crossbitemay include a series of modified teeth positions to align and expand thewidth of the dental arches.

At operation 150, the method 100 may include displaying a graphical userinterface for the tracking dental aligner production and manufacture forthe plurality of patients. In some embodiments the graphical userinterface is a specialized graphical user interface allowing for variousdisplaying of various rows of cells with subject headings for displayingthe status of various steps in the process of dental aligner productionand manufacture for the tracking dental aligner production andmanufacture for the plurality of patients. For example, the specializedgraphical user interface may include a focus cell for receiving focuscell activation from the user. For instance, upon activation by thefocus cell activation from the user the graphical user interface for thetracking dental aligner production and manufacture for the plurality ofpatients may display at least one of the status of various steps in theprocess of dental aligner production and manufacture. For example,displaying the status of at least one of the scan status, the treatmentplan status, and the printing status for the plurality of patients.

In various embodiments the graphical user interface for the trackingdental aligner production and manufacture for the plurality of patientsmay comprise various rows of cells with subject headings displaying thestatus of various steps in the process of dental aligner production andmanufacture as described in FIG. 2 through FIG. 15. For instance,operation 150 of FIG. 1, displaying a graphical user interface for thetracking dental aligner production and manufacture for the plurality ofpatients. The graphical user interface may comprise various rows ofcells with subject headings displaying the status of various steps inthe process of dental aligner production and manufacture as described inFIG. 2 through FIG. 15.

FIG. 2 illustrates a graphical user interface showing a dashboard 200for tracking dental aligner production and manufacture for a pluralityof patients, in accordance with various embodiments of the presenttechnology. The dashboard 200 for tracking dental aligner production andmanufacture for the plurality of patients includes various rows of cellswith subject headings displaying the status of various steps in theprocess of dental aligner production and manufacture. For example, thedashboard 200 for tracking dental aligner production and manufacture fora plurality of patients includes various rows of cells with subjectheadings including a ready for loading status, Dr. review status, needsprinting status, needs thermoform status, needs trim and polish status,needs packaging status, case completed status, and due soon status. Forexample, the various rows of cells with subject headings may include atotal number of patients for each status indicator to assist withtracking in real-time dental aligner production and manufacture for theplurality of patients.

FIG. 3 illustrates a graphical user interface showing a ready forloading status 300 for tracking dental aligner production andmanufacture for the plurality of patients after a user selects thesubject heading ready for loading of FIG. 2, in accordance with variousembodiments of the present technology. The ready for loading status 300for tracking dental aligner production and manufacture for the pluralityof patients may be displayed after a user selects the subject heading ofready for loading of FIG. 2. For example, the graphical user interfacefor the tracking dental aligner production and manufacture for theplurality of patients of FIG. 3 displays a first row of cells containinga first subject heading displaying a scan status, the scan status beinga status of the receiving the intra-oral scan. For instance, the readyfor loading status 300 for tracking dental aligner production andmanufacture indicates a status of receiving the intra-oral scan for theplurality of patients as shown in FIG. 3. For instance, a status ofoperation 110 of FIG. 1, receiving an intra-oral scan including startingteeth positions of a patient for each of the plurality of patients.

FIG. 4 illustrates a graphical user interface showing Dr. review status400 for tracking dental aligner production and manufacture for theplurality of patients after a user selects a subject heading Dr. reviewstatus of FIG. 2, in accordance with various embodiments of the presenttechnology. The Dr. review status 400 for tracking dental alignerproduction and manufacture for the plurality of patients may bedisplayed after a user selects the subject heading Dr. review of FIG. 2.For example, the graphical user interface for the tracking dentalaligner production and manufacture for the plurality of patients of FIG.4 displays a second row of cells containing a second subject headingdisplaying a treatment plan status, the treatment plan status being astatus of the receiving a treatment plan including the desired teethpositions of the patient based on the intra-oral scan. For instance, theDr. review status 400 for tracking dental aligner production andmanufacture indicates a status of receiving a treatment plan includingthe desired teeth positions of the patient based on the intra-oral scan,which are included in the Dr. review for the plurality of patients asshown in FIG. 4. For instance, a status of operation 120 of FIG. 1,receiving a treatment plan including desired teeth positions of thepatient based on the intra-oral scan.

FIG. 5 illustrates a graphical user interface showing needs printingstatus 500 for tracking dental aligner production and manufacture forthe plurality of patients after a user selects a subject heading ofneeds printing of FIG. 2, in accordance with various embodiments of thepresent technology. The needs printing status 500 for tracking dentalaligner production and manufacture for the plurality of patients may bedisplayed after a user selects the subject heading needs printing ofFIG. 2. For example, the graphical user interface for the trackingdental aligner production and manufacture for the plurality of patientsof FIG. 5 displays a third row of cells containing a third subjectheading displaying a printing status, the printing status being a statusof the printing, using the three-dimensional (3D) printer, the series ofdental models matching the series of modified teeth positions. Forinstance, the needs printing status 500 for tracking dental alignerproduction and manufacture indicates a status of the printing, using thethree-dimensional (3D) printer, the series of dental models matching theseries of modified teeth positions. For instance, a status of operation140 of FIG. 1, printing, using a three-dimensional (3D) printer, aseries of dental models matching the series of modified teeth positionsfrom the starting teeth positions, the series of dental models beingused for fabricating a series of dental aligners that cause the startingteeth positions of the patient to physically change to the desired teethpositions.

FIG. 6 illustrates a graphical user interface showing needs thermoformstatus 600 for tracking dental aligner production and manufacture forthe plurality of patients after a user selects a subject heading ofneeds thermoform of FIG. 2, in accordance with various embodiments ofthe present technology. The needs thermoform status 600 for trackingdental aligner production and manufacture for the plurality of patientsmay be displayed after a user selects the subject heading of needsthermoform status of FIG. 2. For example, the graphical user interfacefor the tracking dental aligner production and manufacture for theplurality of patients of FIG. 6 displays a fourth row of cellscontaining a fourth subject heading displaying a thermoform status, thethermoform status being a status of thermoforming a dental aligner ofthe series of dental aligners matching the series of modified teethpositions. For instance, the needs thermoform status 600 for trackingdental aligner production and manufacture indicates a status ofthermoforming dental aligners for a plurality of patients as shown inFIG. 6.

FIG. 7 illustrates a graphical user interface showing needs trim andpolish status 700 for tracking dental aligner production and manufacturefor the plurality of patients after a user selects a subject headingneeds trim and polish of FIG. 2, in accordance with various embodimentsof the present technology. The needs trim and polish status 700 fortracking dental aligner production and manufacture for the plurality ofpatients may be displayed after a user selects the subject heading ofneeds trim and polish status of FIG. 2. For example, the graphical userinterface for the tracking dental aligner production and manufacture forthe plurality of patients of FIG. 7 displays a fifth row of cellscontaining a fifth subject heading displaying a trim and polish status,the trim and polish status being a status of trimming and polishing ofthe dental aligner of the series of dental aligners matching the seriesof modified teeth positions. For instance, the needs trim and polishstatus 700 for tracking dental aligner production and manufactureindicates a status of trimming and polishing of the dental aligner ofthe series of dental aligners for the plurality of patients as shown inFIG. 7.

FIG. 8 illustrates a graphical user interface showing needs packagingstatus 800 for tracking dental aligner production and manufacture forthe plurality of patients after a user selects a subject heading needspackaging of FIG. 2, in accordance with various embodiments of thepresent technology. The needs packaging status 800 for tracking dentalaligner production and manufacture for the plurality of patients may bedisplayed after a user selects the subject heading of needs packagingstatus of FIG. 2. For example, the graphical user interface for thetracking dental aligner production and manufacture for the plurality ofpatients of FIG. 8 displays a sixth row of cells containing a sixthsubject heading displaying a packaging status, the packaging statusbeing a status of packaging of the dental aligner of the series ofdental aligners matching the series of modified teeth positions. Forinstance, the needs packaging status 800 for tracking dental alignerproduction and manufacture indicates a status of packaging of the dentalaligner of the series of dental aligners matching the series of modifiedteeth positions as shown in FIG. 8.

FIG. 9 illustrates a graphical user interface showing case ready status900 for tracking dental aligner production and manufacture for theplurality of patients after a user selects a subject heading case readyof FIG. 2, in accordance with various embodiments of the presenttechnology. The case ready status 900 for tracking dental alignerproduction and manufacture for the plurality of patients may bedisplayed after a user selects the subject heading of ready for loadingstatus of FIG. 2. For example, the graphical user interface for thetracking dental aligner production and manufacture for the plurality ofpatients of FIG. 9 displays a seventh row of cells containing a seventhsubject heading displaying a case ready status, the case ready statusbeing a status of completion of the dental aligner of the series ofdental aligners matching the series of modified teeth positions. Forinstance, the case ready status 900 for tracking dental alignerproduction and manufacture indicates a status of completion of thedental aligner of the series of dental aligners matching the series ofmodified teeth positions as shown in FIG. 9.

FIG. 10 illustrates a graphical user interface showing case completedstatus 1000 for tracking dental aligner production and manufacture forthe plurality of patients after a user selects a subject heading casecompleted of FIG. 2, in accordance with various embodiments of thepresent technology. The case completed status 1000 for tracking dentalaligner production and manufacture for the plurality of patients may bedisplayed after a user selects the subject heading of case completedstatus of FIG. 2. For example, the graphical user interface for thetracking dental aligner production and manufacture for the plurality ofpatients of FIG. 10 comprises an eight row of cells containing an eighthsubject heading displaying a case completed status, the case completedstatus being a status of completion of all aligners of the series ofdental aligners matching the series of modified teeth positions. Forinstance, the case completed status 1000 for tracking dental alignerproduction and manufacture indicates a status of completion of all thesteps of dental aligner production and manufacture for the plurality ofpatients as shown in FIG. 10.

FIG. 11 illustrates a graphical user interface showing due soon status1100 for tracking dental aligner production and manufacture for theplurality of patients after a user selects a subject heading due soon ofFIG. 2, in accordance with various embodiments of the presenttechnology. For instance, the due soon status 1100 for tracking dentalaligner production and manufacture indicates any of the steps of dentalaligner production and manufacture for the plurality of patients thatare due soon as shown in FIG. 11. For example, an orthodontist may beable to avoid missing any due dates for patients by using the due soonstatus 1100 for tracking dental aligner production and manufacture forthe plurality of patients.

FIG. 12 illustrates a graphical user interface showing a calendar view1200 for tracking dental aligner production and manufacture for theplurality of patients after a user selects a subject heading calendarview of FIG. 2, in accordance with various embodiments of the presenttechnology. For instance, the calendar view 1200 for tracking dentalaligner production and manufacture displays the steps of dental alignerproduction and manufacture for the plurality of patients on a calendarfor easy tracking and also show deadlines that are due soon as shown inFIG. 12. For example, an orthodontist may be able to avoid missing anydeadlines for when patients are scheduled to be in the office by usingthe calendar view 1200 for tracking dental aligner production andmanufacture for the plurality of patients.

FIG. 13 illustrates a graphical user interface showing an add treatmenttype 1300 for tracking dental aligner production and manufacture for theplurality of patients after a user selects a subject heading addtreatment type under settings of FIG. 2, in accordance with variousembodiments of the present technology. For instance, the add treatmenttype 1300 for tracking dental aligner production and manufactureindicates a data field to add a type of treatment for a patient such asovercrowding, gapped teeth, overbites, underbites, crossbites, and openbites, extraction, and the like. For example, an orthodontist may beable to add a treatment type such as overcrowding, gapped teeth,overbites, underbites, crossbites, and open bites, extraction, and thelike, to a patient case for tracking dental aligner production andmanufacture for the plurality of patients.

FIG. 14 illustrates a graphical user interface showing an add appliancetype 1400 for tracking dental aligner production and manufacture for theplurality of patients after a user selects an add appliance type undersettings of FIG. 2, in accordance with various embodiments of thepresent technology. For instance, the add appliance type 1400 fortracking dental aligner production and manufacture indicates a datafield to add appliance type for a patient such as comprehensive,limited, hybrid, and finishing aligners, and the like. For example, anorthodontist may be able to add an appliance type to a patient recordtype such comprehensive, limited, hybrid, and finishing aligners, andthe like, for tracking dental aligner production and manufacture for theplurality of patients.

FIG. 15 illustrates a graphical user interface showing an add software1500 for tracking dental aligner production and manufacture for theplurality of patients after a user selects add software under settingsof FIG. 2, in accordance with various embodiments of the presenttechnology. For instance, the add software 1500 for tracking dentalaligner production and manufacture indicates a data field to add a typeof software used with the tracking dental aligner production andmanufacture.

FIG. 16 illustrates an exemplary computer system that may be used toimplement embodiments of the present technology according to variousembodiments. FIG. 16 illustrates a computer system for implementingembodiments according to exemplary embodiments of the presenttechnology. FIG. 16 is a diagrammatic representation of an examplemachine in the form of a computer system 1, within which a set ofinstructions for causing the machine to perform any one or more of themethodologies discussed herein may be executed. In various exampleembodiments, the machine operates as a standalone device or may beconnected (e.g., networked) to other machines. In a networkeddeployment, the machine may operate in the capacity of a server or aclient machine in a server-client network environment, or as a peermachine in a peer-to-peer (or distributed) network environment. Themachine may be a personal computer (PC), a tablet PC, a set-top box(STB), a personal digital assistant (PDA), a cellular telephone, aportable music player (e.g., a portable hard drive audio device such asan Moving Picture Experts Group Audio Layer 3 (MP3) player), a webappliance, a network router, switch or bridge, or any machine capable ofexecuting a set of instructions (sequential or otherwise) that specifyactions to be taken by that machine. Further, while only a singlemachine is illustrated, the term “machine” shall also be taken toinclude any collection of machines that individually or jointly executea set (or multiple sets) of instructions to perform any one or more ofthe methodologies discussed herein.

The example computer system 1 includes a processor or multipleprocessor(s) 5 (e.g., a central processing unit (CPU), a graphicsprocessing unit (GPU), or both), and a main memory 10 and static memory15, which communicate with each other via a bus 20. The computer system1 may further include a video display 35 (e.g., a liquid crystal display(LCD)). The computer system 1 may also include an alpha-numeric inputdevice(s) 30 (e.g., a keyboard), a cursor control device (e.g., amouse), a voice recognition or biometric verification unit (not shown),a drive unit 37 (also referred to as disk drive unit), a signalgeneration device 40 (e.g., a speaker), and a network interface device45. The computer system 1 may further include a data encryption module(not shown) to encrypt data.

The disk drive unit 37 includes a computer or machine-readable medium 50on which is stored one or more sets of instructions and data structures(e.g., instructions 55) embodying or utilizing any one or more of themethodologies or functions described herein. The instructions 55 mayalso reside, completely or at least partially, within the main memory 10and/or within the processor(s) 5 during execution thereof by thecomputer system 1. The main memory 10 and the processor(s) 5 may alsoconstitute machine-readable media.

The instructions 55 may further be transmitted or received over anetwork via the network interface device 45 utilizing any one of anumber of well-known transfer protocols (e.g., Hyper Text TransferProtocol (HTTP)). While the machine-readable medium 50 is shown in anexample embodiment to be a single medium, the term “computer-readablemedium” should be taken to include a single medium or multiple media(e.g., a centralized or distributed database and/or associated cachesand servers) that store the one or more sets of instructions. The term“computer-readable medium” shall also be taken to include any mediumthat is capable of storing, encoding, or carrying a set of instructionsfor execution by the machine and that causes the machine to perform anyone or more of the methodologies of the present application, or that iscapable of storing, encoding, or carrying data structures utilized by orassociated with such a set of instructions. The term “computer-readablemedium” shall accordingly be taken to include, but not be limited to,solid-state memories, optical and magnetic media, and carrier wavesignals. Such media may also include, without limitation, hard disks,floppy disks, flash memory cards, digital video disks, random accessmemory (RAM), read only memory (ROM), and the like. The exampleembodiments described herein may be implemented in an operatingenvironment comprising software installed on a computer, in hardware, orin a combination of software and hardware.

One skilled in the art will recognize that the Internet service may beconfigured to provide Internet access to one or more computing devicesthat are coupled to the Internet service, and that the computing devicesmay include one or more processors, buses, memory devices, displaydevices, input/output devices, and the like. Furthermore, those skilledin the art may appreciate that the Internet service may be coupled toone or more databases, repositories, servers, and the like, which may beutilized in order to implement any of the embodiments of the disclosureas described herein.

These computer program instructions may also be stored in a computerreadable medium that can direct a computer, other programmable dataprocessing apparatus, or other devices to function in a particularmanner, such that the instructions stored in the computer readablemedium produce an article of manufacture including instructions whichimplement the function/act specified in the flowchart and/or blockdiagram block or blocks.

The computer program instructions may also be loaded onto a computer,other programmable data processing apparatus, or other devices to causea series of operational steps to be performed on the computer, otherprogrammable apparatus or other devices to produce a computerimplemented process such that the instructions which execute on thecomputer or other programmable apparatus provide processes forimplementing the functions/acts specified in the flowchart and/or blockdiagram block or blocks.

In the description, for purposes of explanation and not limitation,specific details are set forth, such as particular embodiments,procedures, techniques, and so forth, in order to provide a thoroughunderstanding of the present technology. However, it will be apparent toone skilled in the art that the present technology may be practiced inother embodiments that depart from these specific details.

While specific embodiments of, and examples for, the system aredescribed above for illustrative purposes, various equivalentmodifications are possible within the scope of the system, as thoseskilled in the relevant art will recognize. For example, while processesor steps are presented in a given order, alternative embodiments mayperform routines having steps in a different order, and some processesor steps may be deleted, moved, added, subdivided, combined, and/ormodified to provide alternative or sub-combinations. Each of theseprocesses or steps may be implemented in a variety of different ways.Also, while processes or steps are at times shown as being performed inseries, these processes or steps may instead be performed in parallel ormay be performed at different times.

While various embodiments have been described above, it should beunderstood that they have been presented by way of example only, and notlimitation. The descriptions are not intended to limit the scope of thepresent technology to the particular forms set forth herein. To thecontrary, the present descriptions are intended to cover suchalternatives, modifications, and equivalents as may be included withinthe spirit and scope of the present technology as appreciated by one ofordinary skill in the art. Thus, the breadth and scope of a preferredembodiment should not be limited by any of the above-described exemplaryembodiments.

What is claimed is:
 1. A method for tracking dental aligner productionand manufacture for a plurality of patients, the method comprising:receiving an intra-oral scan including starting teeth positions of apatient; receiving a treatment plan including desired teeth positions ofthe patient based on the intra-oral scan; generating a series ofmodified teeth positions from the starting teeth positions based on thetreatment plan, the series of modified teeth positions from the startingteeth positions being incremental changes from the starting teethpositions to the desired teeth positions; printing, using athree-dimensional (3D) printer, a series of dental models matching theseries of modified teeth positions from the starting teeth positions,the series of dental models being used to fabricate a series of dentalaligners that cause the starting teeth positions of the patient tophysically change to the desired teeth positions; and displaying agraphical user interface for the tracking dental aligner production andmanufacture for the plurality of patients, the graphical user interfacefor the tracking dental aligner production and manufacture for theplurality of patients comprising: a first row of cells containing afirst subject heading displaying a scan status, the scan status being astatus of the receiving the intra-oral scan; a second row of cellscontaining a second subject heading displaying a treatment plan status,the treatment plan status being a status of the receiving a treatmentplan including the desired teeth positions of the patient based on theintra-oral scan; and a third row of cells containing a third subjectheading displaying a printing status, the printing status being a statusof the printing, using the three-dimensional (3D) printer, the series ofdental models matching the series of modified teeth positions.
 2. Themethod of claim 1, wherein the displaying the graphical user interfacefor the tracking dental aligner production and manufacture for theplurality of patients further comprises: a fourth row of cellscontaining a fourth subject heading displaying a thermoform status, thethermoform status being a status of thermoforming a dental aligner ofthe series of dental aligners matching the series of modified teethpositions.
 3. The method of claim 2, wherein the displaying thegraphical user interface for the tracking dental aligner production andmanufacture for the plurality of patients further comprises: a fifth rowof cells containing a fifth subject heading displaying a trim and polishstatus, the trim and polish status being a status of trimming andpolishing of the dental aligner of the series of dental alignersmatching the series of modified teeth positions.
 4. The method of claim3, wherein the displaying the graphical user interface for the trackingdental aligner production and manufacture for the plurality of patientsfurther comprises: a sixth row of cells containing a sixth subjectheading displaying a packaging status, the packaging status being astatus of packaging of the dental aligner of the series of dentalaligners matching the series of modified teeth positions.
 5. The methodof claim 4, wherein the displaying the graphical user interface for thetracking dental aligner production and manufacture for the plurality ofpatients further comprises: a seventh row of cells containing a seventhsubject heading displaying a case ready status, the case ready statusbeing a status of completion of the dental aligner of the series ofdental aligners matching the series of modified teeth positions.
 6. Themethod of claim 5, wherein the displaying the graphical user interfacefor the tracking dental aligner production and manufacture for theplurality of patients further comprises: an eight row of cellscontaining an eighth subject heading displaying a case completed status,the case completed status being a status of completion of all alignersof the series of dental aligners matching the series of modified teethpositions.
 7. The method of claim 1, further comprising: receiving afocus cell activation from a user, the focus cell activation from theuser causing the graphical user interface for the tracking dentalaligner production and manufacture for the plurality of patients todisplay at least one of the scan status, the treatment plan status, andthe printing status for the plurality of patients.
 8. The method ofclaim 1, wherein the intra-oral scan is received from an intraoralscanner, the scanner providing the starting teeth positions of thepatient.
 9. A system for tracking dental aligner production andmanufacture for a plurality of patients, the system comprising: anintraoral scanner generating an intra-oral scan including starting teethpositions of a patient; at least one processor; and a memory storingprocessor-executable instructions, wherein the at least one processor isconfigured to implement the following operations upon executing theprocessor-executable instructions: generating a treatment plan includingdesired teeth positions of the patient based on the intra-oral scan; andgenerating a series of modified teeth positions from the starting teethpositions based on the treatment plan, the series of modified teethpositions from the starting teeth positions being incremental changesfrom the starting teeth positions to the desired teeth positions; athree-dimensional (3D) printer printing, a series of dental modelsmatching the series of modified teeth positions from the starting teethpositions, the series of dental models being used to fabricate a seriesof dental aligners that cause the starting teeth positions of thepatient to physically change to the desired teeth positions; and agraphical user interface for the tracking dental aligner production andmanufacture for the plurality of patients, the graphical user interfacedisplaying: a first row of cells containing a first subject headingdisplaying a scan status, the scan status being a status of thegenerating the intra-oral scan; a second row of cells containing asecond subject heading displaying a treatment plan status, the treatmentplan status being a status of the generating a treatment plan includingthe desired teeth positions of the patient based on the intra-oral scan;and a third row of cells containing a third subject heading displaying aprinting status, the printing status being a status of the printing,using the three-dimensional (3D) printer, the series of dental models.10. The system of claim 9, wherein the graphical user interface for thetracking dental aligner production and manufacture for the plurality ofpatients further displaying: a fourth row of cells containing a fourthsubject heading displaying a thermoform status, the thermoform statusbeing a status of thermoforming a dental aligner of the series of dentalaligners matching the series of modified teeth positions.
 11. The systemof claim 10, wherein the graphical user interface for the trackingdental aligner production and manufacture for the plurality of patientsfurther displaying: a fifth row of cells containing a fifth subjectheading displaying a trim and polish status, the trim and polish statusbeing a status of trimming and polishing of the dental aligner of theseries of dental aligners matching the series of modified teethpositions.
 12. The system of claim 11, wherein the graphical userinterface for the tracking dental aligner production and manufacture forthe plurality of patients further displaying: a sixth row of cellscontaining a sixth subject heading displaying a packaging status, thepackaging status being a status of packaging of the dental aligner ofthe series of dental aligners matching the series of modified teethpositions.
 13. The system of claim 12, wherein the graphical userinterface for the tracking dental aligner production and manufacture forthe plurality of patients further displaying: a seventh row of cellscontaining a seventh subject heading displaying a case ready status, thecase ready status being a status of completion of the dental aligner ofthe series of dental aligners matching the series of modified teethpositions.
 14. The system of claim 13, wherein the graphical userinterface for the tracking dental aligner production and manufacture forthe plurality of patients further displaying: an eight row of cellscontaining an eighth subject heading displaying a case completed status,the case completed status being a status of completion of all alignersof the series of dental aligners matching the series of modified teethpositions.
 15. The system of claim 9, wherein the at least one processoris further configured to implement the following operations uponexecuting the processor-executable instructions: receiving a focus cellactivation from a user, the focus cell activation from the user causingthe graphical user interface for the tracking dental aligner productionand manufacture for the plurality of patients to further display atleast one of the scan status, the treatment plan status, and theprinting status for the plurality of patients.
 16. A non-transitorycomputer readable medium having embodied thereon instructions beingexecutable by at least one processor to perform operations for trackingdental aligner production and manufacture for a plurality of patients,the operations comprising: receiving an intra-oral scan includingstarting teeth positions of a patient from an intraoral scanner;receiving a treatment plan including desired teeth positions of thepatient based on the intra-oral scan; generating a series of modifiedteeth positions from the starting teeth positions based on the treatmentplan, the series of modified teeth positions from the starting teethpositions being incremental changes from the starting teeth positions tothe desired teeth positions; printing, using a three-dimensional (3D)printer, a series of dental models matching the series of modified teethpositions from the starting teeth positions, the series of dental modelsbeing used for making a series of dental aligners that cause thestarting teeth positions of the patient to physically change to thedesired teeth positions; and displaying a graphical user interface forthe tracking dental aligner production and manufacture for the pluralityof patients, the graphical user interface for the tracking dentalaligner production and manufacture for the plurality of patientscomprising: a first row of cells containing a first subject headingdisplaying a scan status, the scan status being a status of thereceiving the intra-oral scan; a second row of cells containing a secondsubject heading displaying a treatment plan status, the treatment planstatus being a status of the receiving a treatment plan including thedesired teeth positions of the patient based on the intra-oral scan; anda third row of cells containing a third subject heading displaying aprinting status, the printing status being a status of the printing,using the three-dimensional (3D) printer, the series of dental modelsmatching the series of modified teeth positions.
 17. The non-transitorycomputer readable medium of claim 16, wherein the graphical userinterface for the tracking dental aligner production and manufacture forthe plurality of patients further comprises: a fourth row of cellscontaining a fourth subject heading displaying a thermoform status, thethermoform status being a status of thermoforming a dental aligner ofthe series of dental aligners matching the series of modified teethpositions.
 18. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 17,wherein the graphical user interface for the tracking dental alignerproduction and manufacture for the plurality of patients furthercomprises: a fifth row of cells containing a fifth subject headingdisplaying a trim and polish status, the trim and polish status being astatus of trimming and polishing of the dental aligner of the series ofdental aligners matching the series of modified teeth positions.
 19. Thenon-transitory computer readable medium of claim 18, wherein thegraphical user interface for the tracking dental aligner production andmanufacture for the plurality of patients further comprises: a sixth rowof cells containing a sixth subject heading displaying a packagingstatus, the packaging status being a status of packaging of the dentalaligner of the series of dental aligners matching the series of modifiedteeth positions.
 20. The non-transitory computer readable medium ofclaim 19, wherein the graphical user interface for the tracking dentalaligner production and manufacture for the plurality of patients furthercomprises: a seventh row of cells containing a seventh subject headingdisplaying a case ready status, the case ready status being a status ofcompletion of the dental aligner of the series of dental alignersmatching the series of modified teeth positions.
 21. The non-transitorycomputer readable medium of claim 20, wherein the graphical userinterface for the tracking dental aligner production and manufacture forthe plurality of patients further comprises: an eight row of cellscontaining an eighth subject heading displaying a case completed status,the case completed status being a status of completion of all alignersof the series of dental aligners matching the series of modified teethpositions.